Posts tagged Bad News

$69,000 of Lingerie Bought on Orphanage Credit Card

Lingerie and airline tickets, not the type of thing you expect to see on the credit card statement of an Orphanage.

Lingerie Model

However the St. Vincent Home for Children in Normandy we shocked to discover that one employee had been abusing the card, purchasing about $69,000 worth of lingerie, airline tickets, paying utility and hotel bills and make purchases from Wal-Mart, furniture from Pottery Barn and more from Amazon.com.

Linda Egelhoff, 43, pleaded not guilty this morning in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.

Verdict: Pretty Evil

Source: stlToday

BBC Blunder Over Flowers

The BBC have made a fool of themselves again by refusing to pay for flowers at funerals for their staff who have died in service, despite spending money on flowers to reward staff for their ‘talent’.

funeral-flowers

Isabel Cosgrove, of the BBC’s human resources department, has complained that she has been banned from sending wreaths and flowers to the families of deceased colleagues:

“I work in BBC People and therefore have to deal with sad situations like the death in service of a member of staff. In these cases, one of the things that helps the family is that the BBC acknowledges its appreciation of the deceased staff member. I think most of us would agree that this is normally shown, amongst cards and letters, by the sending of flowers to the funeral. However, we have been prevented from doing this in the last few situations in Scotland because of the expenses policy. I have been looking at the recently published expenses of the senior executives and note that they have successfully claimed for sending flowers to individuals. How on earth is that possible?”

The outrage comes after the release of BBC executive expenses, including a £100 bouquet of flowers for Jonathan Ross congratulating him on his £18 million contract. The BBC’s chief financial officer Zarin Patel said executives were allowed to buy bouquets to reward the corporation’s ‘talent’. The BBC’s chief financial officer Zarin Patel said “Flowers and other gifts are however occasionally purchased for talent to mark notable successes and significant events.”

Ouch…

Source: Telegraph

American Petroleum Institute’s ‘Secret Game Plan’

The issue of climate change has still to be properly confronted by the Obama administration, as the first proposed bill was put on hold until the health care reform cluster-f*ck is sorted out. But yet again Corporate America wants to halt progress for its own personal gain.

Jack Gerard

Greenpeace USA managed to obtain a internal memo from American Petroleum Institute president Jack Gerard, asking API’s member companies to recruit employees, retirees, vendors and contractors to attend “Energy Citizen” rallies in key Congressional districts nationwide in the closing weeks of the August recess. The plan being to cause a shift in the opinions of the general public, making them reject the up and coming plans to take action on climate change, much like FOX News has done with the Obama-Care health reform that is dominating the news.

Recent reports show that 51% of Americans think that more should be done to prevent climate change. API’s plan places a special focus on 21 states picked for having “a significant industry presence” or “assets on the ground.” The plan is clearly trying to replicate the rights movement on Obama’s health care reform, that has been stopped dead in its tracks thanks to right wing groups and FOX News spurring on opinionated idiots to head to health care talks around the US, and shout at the senators to get on TV.

Gerard states that API is ready to bus in company members and provide logistical support, and reveals that API has retained “a highly experienced events management company that has produced successful rallies for presidential campaigns, corporations and interest groups.”

The email also states that API is partnering on the rally campaign with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, confirming that the groups are staging a coordinated effort to attack climate legislation.

Not Evil enough for you? Well the memo closes with a ‘for your eyes only’ plea: “Please treat this information as sensitive and ask those in your company to do so as well… we don’t want critics to know our game plan.”

Game Plan known DOUCHE BAG!

Sun Beds Cause Cancer

It’s long been claimed that Sun Beds are bad for your health. Now International cancer experts have moved tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation into the top cancer risk category deeming both to be definite causes of cancer.

sun bedsAn analysis of 20 studies concluded that you are 75% more likely to get cancer if you use sun beds before the age of 30. Experts also found that all types of ultraviolet radiation caused worrying mutations in mice, proof the radiation is carcinogenic. Previously, only one type of ultraviolet radiation was thought to be lethal.

The news means tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation are definite causes of cancer, alongside tobacco, the hepatitis B virus and chimney sweeping, among others. In Britain, melanoma is now the leading cancer diagnosed in women in their 20s. Normally, skin cancer rates are highest in people over 75. According to a British study from 2003, about 100 people every year die of melanoma attributable to tanning beds. Previous studies found younger people who regularly use tanning beds are eight times more likely to get melanoma than people who have never used them. In the past, WHO warned people younger than 18 to stay away from tanning beds.

The news has lead for more calls for England to follow Scotland in making it illegal for under 18’s to use sun beds. Many tanning salons and gyms with sun beds still deny the health risks.

Source: Google

Charities Struggle In Recession as Donations Fall

Charities ability to carry out vital work is being undermined by a huge fall in the level of donations. More than half of them have been affected by the economic downturn according to data published by the Charity Commission, with a third putting in measures such as dipping into reserves, reducing staff and increasing fund raising.

Oxfam, which derives 80% of its income from its 714-strong network of shops, has announced a 12% fall in the number of donations being received – the first drop in eight years.

The impact of the financial downturn on charities has widened and deepened, with many facing the double whammy of falling income and increasing demand for services. It is difficult for a charity to commit funding for advertising to increase donations, when they could use the money for donations themselves.

Oxfam aims to increase funding by launching an online shopping service, featuring second hand clothes, second hand books and charity gifts. This comes after Oxfam announced that they are committing more efforts to help those effected by climate change and the disasters caused by our increasingly warming climate.

Much Ado About Flu

Swine Flu pandemic has hit the UK. Worst case scenario’s predict up to 65,000 deaths in the UK alone. But is there any need to worry?

Robin Lustig of the BBC’s World Tonight makes some brave and bold statements about the current hysteria culture in the UK:

“I imagine you remember BSE and mad cow disease. Weren’t we told that anyone who had ever eaten beef was supposedly at risk of life-threatening brain damage? And you probably remember the bird flu scare. Maybe you even remember necrotising fascists, the “flesh-eating bug”, which had us all terrified a few years back.”

“Which brings us, as you knew it would, to swine flu. Or flu, as I prefer to call it. I imagine that, like most people, you’ve had flu at some point in the past, and survived. (No jokes, please, about men who get flu: everyone knows that men suffer much more when they’re ill than women do … it’s just the way we’re made.)”

“Swine flu is this year’s flu. The only difference, so far as I can make out, is that the virus is slightly different from the ordinary, common-or-garden, seasonal flu, which means that the vaccine which is usually given to vulnerable people isn’t effective. This new flu may be a bit more likely to spread, but it seems to be no more serious as an illness (if anything, it might be a bit less serious – at least, for most people).”

“All right, so why all the fuss? Here’s my theory. First, officials never want to be accused of being unprepared, or of having failed to warn the public of a genuine danger. So they are naturally tempted to err on the side of pessimism.”

“Second, it is part of their job to prepare for the worst. They have spent ages drawing up detailed contingency plans. So when we reporters ask them: “What’s the worst case scenario?”, they have a nice, scary answer ready and waiting.”

“And why do we reporters always seem to look for the worst case scenario? Well, imagine tonight’s programme. I read the top headline: “There seems to be a new flu virus, but no one seems too worried.” Alternatively, I read: “There seems to be a new flu virus. Government scientists say up to a million people could be affected.” Which one would keep you listening? (Honest answers only, please.)”

«12345»